1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to condenser coil assemblies for use in refrigerators and the like. In certain aspects, the invention also relates to methods for forming a condenser coil.
2. Description of the Related Art
Contemporary refrigerators use condensing coils to help remove heat from the refrigerant that is being used to cool the interior of the refrigerator. In the past, condensers were sometimes located along substantially the entire width and length of the back side of a refrigerator body for reasons of efficiency. This location was desired, and perhaps necessary, since a large amount of surface area is required for the condenser coil to effectively rid itself of heat without the benefit of air being forced through the coil.
Conventional condenser coils have been essentially flat arrays of sequential S-type or zig-zag curves. U.S. Pat. No. 520,930 entitled xe2x80x9cRefrigerating Machinexe2x80x9d and issued to Levey et al. depicts a typical flat coil winding wherein the refrigeration coil is essentially flat and bent so that the coil is wound in a zig-zag fashion in two dimensions. While this type of coil has proven itself to be efficient and effective at dissipating heat, it requires a significant amount of surface area for mounting. As a result, the condenser coil has most often been relegated to mounting upon the rear side of the refrigerator body and running substantially the entire length and width of the body.
Of late, it has become desirable to place the condenser coil assembly in the base pan of the refrigerator for aesthetic purposes and use a fan to force air through the coil assembly in order to cool it. This leaves the rear side of the refrigerator free. In addition, the inventor considers it desirable to minimize the amount of horizontal area, or footprint, that is taken up by the condenser coil assembly beneath the refrigerator in order to leave room for other components such as water valves and filters. The present invention addresses the problems associated with the prior art.
An improved condenser coil assembly is described as well as methods for forming such a device. The condenser assembly of the present invention maximizes heat transfer surface area within a reduced volumetric area without significantly increasing the static pressure on the condenser fan system. The coil assembly is made up of a coil element through which refrigerant is transmitted and a plurality of wires that are affixed to the coil element to assist in dissipating heat from the coil element. The coil element is formed into a compact three-layer arrangement by first bending the coil element into a flat, zig-zag configuration. Secondly, the zig-zag shape is folded in a transverse direction to create three folds or flaps that are essentially equal in length. It is preferred that rounded bars be used to assist in creating the folds.